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Updated on
January 06, 2011,
J.G.
asks from
Cincinnati, OH
on
January 05, 2011

How Many Words Should a 11 Month Old Be Saying (How Clearly)?

I have to admit, I was watching 16 and Pregnant earlier. I saw a 10 month old say "turtle" clear as day. My daughter is just saying momma, dadda, boom boom (binkie), and nanana, she tries to say my sisters name (but it just sounds like almost there sounds). She is learning 2 languages.......and she can point to "circle, square, and triangle" when I ask her to. I'm just curious.

So What Happened?™

Ok great, thanks ladies. I was just really worried there for a minute when I saw that 10 month old say "turtle" and so clearly. Another thing that someone mentioned, that I am concerned about is that she doesn't really gesture. She doesn't point or wave bye bye. I know she knows HOW to wave bye bye, but we are very lucky if we get to see it. It's a rare event. She NEVER points.

Featured Answers

A.C.
answers from
Cincinnati
on
January 05, 2011

At 11 months, my son didn't have a single word he could say clearly. Not even Mama. My doctor said she wouldn't be worried until he hit 18 months without any words, because he could follow simple commands. He's now 2 and a chatterbox, reading numbers, naming colors, saying shapes. The most important thing to note is whether she understands you when YOU speak - and it sounds like she does - so I wouldn't worry at all.

My son is also learning two languages, and it does slow down the speaking process initially, because the brain is deciphering two words for each meaning. No worries, it's hugely beneficial in the long run!si

My 2 year old would not speak until his little brother was born! He went straight to short speeches about things I had no idea he knew about. Example: Mom! Take suitcases downstairs. Get plane tickets. Go Disneyland! Mom! :)

More Answers

K.M.
answers from
Memphis
on
January 05, 2011

There is a pretty broad range for what it considered normal. Some babies start very early and others wait longer. At 11 months, your daughter sounds like she is doing just fine. Every kid is different. My son started talking around age 1 but my 19 month old daughter still has only a few words that she can say clearly. My pediatrician is not concerned since she understands most of what we say to her and is usually able to make us understand what she wants without words. If you need reassurance talk to your pediatrician at your daughter's 1 year check up.

My son just turned one and he says, Momma, Dadda, bye bye, hi, night night and yum. Sounds like your daughter is doing great!

I have heard (don't know if this is a fact or not) that learning two languages can delay speech so if you are only teaching her for fun, not b/c there is family that speaks two languages, you might want to research to see if it's best to learn one language first then learn the next language. Again, that was just something I heard.

At 11 months, my son didn't have a single word he could say clearly. Not even Mama. My doctor said she wouldn't be worried until he hit 18 months without any words, because he could follow simple commands. He's now 2 and a chatterbox, reading numbers, naming colors, saying shapes. The most important thing to note is whether she understands you when YOU speak - and it sounds like she does - so I wouldn't worry at all.

My son is also learning two languages, and it does slow down the speaking process initially, because the brain is deciphering two words for each meaning. No worries, it's hugely beneficial in the long run!si

0 and 0...shes 11 months old. the fact she knows some shapes is impressive. dont push her she will learn what she neeeds to learn when she needs to learn it. all she should be doing right now is playing

My 2 year old would not speak until his little brother was born! He went straight to short speeches about things I had no idea he knew about. Example: Mom! Take suitcases downstairs. Get plane tickets. Go Disneyland! Mom! :)

Every child is vastly different with respect to language development. There is no need for concern unless she doesn't start replacing gestures with words around age 2... even then as long as it's a close approximation she's still within normal limits.

My 16 month old can say mama and dada and the rest is just "ba ba ba..." and other sound. Though he knows more than 60 works but he just can't say them yet. He can also understand commands. In my next doc appointment for my son, I will ask him about it. I am also concerned my son is not really saying any words clearly yet but your daughter is only 11 months so I think she is doing fine. I have heard though that girls speak sooner than boys.

I think the benchmark is 3 words besides mama and dada at 12 months, so she's right on target...some kids are early talkers which is really cute when they're that age (like my older son), but they NEVER STOP once they start!!! :)

She's fine. First, children do learn at different times and speeds, and it may feel slow and the next thing you know something clicks and off she goes. I think at this age it's not about the number of words so much as the ability and attempt to communicate. Nodding or shaking a head, waving, and talking in her language with just 3 words or so is good for the end of 12 months. Saying "where's your ball", (or brother, or whatever) and her looking around and picking it up is grand. You said she can point out shapes, that's very advanced for 11 months, I think.
My youngest is 13 months old and he says Mom, and Da, dada, or dad. He has said Bubba and Joe before, but only a couple times, hi (alllll the time) and hey, bye (sometimes, only if he wants to). Once I took the phone away for the 20th time and said "no!" and he stood up, chest out, and yelled "yeah!" Our jaws dropped. That was a one time thing though. He tries to say "I love you" but noone outside the family would know it....it sounds like ahrawroo. That's just b/c we sing the Barney song all the time, and his big brother talks ALL the time so he has someone to copy. He's picking up language much faster than my oldest son did, since they play together all the time. He has his own language too, as I'm sure your daughter does: every time he points at the cat he makes a clicking, almost purr noise. That's his "word" for her. I say "Yes! Cat". If he falls or bumps his head he says "ow". If he has a dirty diaper he comes and puts his hand on my leg with a certain facial expression and said "Oh". I say "uh oh, your diaper?" That's all the words he has right now. But he understands more. If I say nite nite, he'll get his blanky. If I ask where his blanky, paci, ball, or my cellphone is, he'll get them and if I ask where his brother is (during preschool hours) he'll point to the door.
Kids have little words here and there that are "English", but I think it's the ability to communicate at this point that is more important than how many English words they speak. I would be more concerned if she just didn't try.

Our little guy only said a handful of works at 14m, and none of them clearly. I think that 10m old was probably ahead of the curve!

Kids that are bilingual/learning 2 languages as infants often are a little delayed in their language, but in the end it is actually a huge mental advantage--for whatever reason, learning 2 languages as a baby & keeping up with it as a toddler can make the person's mind more flexible in all areas of learning.

Mine didn't say a word until 16 months old. Frustrating. But kids do things at different rates. He was walking at 8.5 months - all his effort went into physical things. Your child is saying an awful lot. Relax and let her develop just the way she is meant to.

Kids develop at different rates. Talking requires a combo of fine motor (tongue and lips) and cognitive (pattern recog/replication and others)... if your daughter is working on larger motor, cognitive emotional integration, cognitive, emotional, visual, or audial... she won't be pouring double the mental and physical energy into fine motor. NO kid works on every area of development all at once, and progressions isn't a straight line upward, but more like Escher Stairs. Meaning that they don't master one concept and move on, but rather leapfrog about. OTW she wouldn't be able to say any words, or sit up. They have developmental "leaps" where something clicks and they work on it like crazy, and then drop it almost entirely to work on something else (hence "regression" that parents often worry about... 'used to do this very well, but doesn't anymore' is nearly always just a sign that they're working on another aspect of development. They still "dabble" in other areas (as adults we call it "keeping our hands in") but they aren't focused there anymore.

This is normal, natural, and WANTED. Asynchronistic development (where they aren't working on multiple areas one after another 2 steps forward, 1 step back, 2 steps in an entirely different direction, integrate integrate, integrate, 2 steps forward 1 step back) but instead a child is hyperfocused on *one* area of development is a sign of many disorders, specific kinds of brain damage, and certain illnesses and physical defects *or* challenges. Challenges are super common.

Then you have environmental stimuli that alter development. Most fast growers, for example, are late walkers, but VERY advanced in another area (fine motor is a common one).

Another environmental stimulus that changes the development timeline (more pertinant to your Q) is being bilingual or multilingual. In single language homes, the part of the brain responsible for hearing and replicating language atrophies. The brain picks out the pathways specific to the single language and the rest "dies" (we lose 3/4s of our braincells -on average- as we grow to adulthood, most by the time a child starts school). In multilingual homes, however, the brain is pulling ALL the sounds as well as the patterns from the different languages. In atrophied brains, the brain CANNOT hear ALL the sounds of a language and so no matter how fluent the speaker they will still have an "accent" from their first language.

Children who come from multilingual homes tend to be "late" talkers as far as single language speakers timeline, but dead on in the normal range when compared to other multilingual babies. The standard pattern is : late to starts, "merges" the languages (Kommst du to the car mommy? is a common kind of phrase for an english/german toddler of 3 or 4, AS IS swapped grammar like Come you to the car mommy? Instead of the English "Come to the car Mommy?" or german "Kommen sie, um das auto mutta?" ), and then *poof* one day the 2/3/4 languages "split" and they are all separate and perfect. For multilanguage speakers add 6-12 months onto single language speakers' timelines.

Guaranteed, if she's not working on language right now... she's working on something else AND that YOUR 11mo old is doing things that the other 11mo ISN'T.

call eci through your school system but she is saying more than my 2 1/2 yr old clearly. he cant point to objects either but I was told mine is hard of hearing. you might get her ears checked make sure she doesnt need tubes. but I wouldnt worry to much if i was you. mine has trouble following directions. yours dont so I dont think you have to much to worry about